Elk are in early. Whooo whooo or Booo hooool

Kathie in Thorp

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Pac NW (the Drier Part)
75 head in at the neighbor's. Just went out for a drive and photo ops. Gates are shut/no trespassing. Let F&G know they are here and to do extra watch. Don't need 75 head going through our fences.

Earliest we've ever had a bunch in that big was in Jan., 2 yrs. ago.
 
Well, so far that bunch has had the courtesy not to tear down any of our fences, although they are staying close, not wandering more than a mile. Yesterday morning, dusky daylight, when our cattle are usually at the barn, I saw them way out at that far end of the pasture nearest where the elk would cross with the least number of fences, just hauling a$$ home like the boogie man was after them. So I suspect the elk were moving before daylight, the cattle went to see what was going on, and decided they didn't like the strangers in the distant dark. We love watching the elk in the winter, but having re-fenced everything in the last 2 years, I'm not quite as tolerant of their travel paths. The several head of bachelor bulls that normally winter in here have never caused us a fence problem. A "herd" is a different deal.
 
I agree with you on the elk herds. We always welcome the new arrival of big herds coming down for their beauty and the chance to hunt them on our own land. A wonderful bugle of a bull elk is amazing until you hear the screeching of your fence next.
 
wrightwayangus":1rxpj9sb said:
I agree with you on the elk herds. We always welcome the new arrival of big herds coming down for their beauty and the chance to hunt them on our own land. A wonderful bugle of a bull elk is amazing until you hear the screeching of your fence next.
Wrightway -- We have never applied for a landowner preference tag . . . . need to check that out. In the interim, with that hanging-around-bunch, we know several folks with WA Master Hunter permits that could catch them on our ground -- biggest landowner near to us doesn't allow hunting. Still, we're amazed this bunch is still here -- we wonder if it's because of wolf pressure on one end, or hunter pressure on another. ?? We have no snow left on the ground. Today, a few young ones were confused, running up/down the RR tracks, with fences on each side, trying to figure out how to get where they needed to go after the main bunch had already done it. One of the neighbors (with hundreds of acres but allows no hunting on his ground) went along the RR easement road with his Jeep , and sort of gently herded them along to where they could get through w/out ripping out fences. The big bunches don't usually stay around long, but we get bulls that winter into early spring.
 
We woke up to gunshots this morning -- sounded like below us, along the river, which is "no hunting" property. Well, I guess it was an exciting morning, according to our neighbor, Mick. That bunch had actually crossed I-90 and then came back; which brought in the fish cops for traffic control. The shooting we heard was DFW trying to move them. The herd crossed the river back onto Mick's property, then across ours the top end of our pasture, up the hill, over a county road and a smaller highway, and now they're up on mostly posted ground. They may be gone . . . . . . . we'll see. We need to check our fences. Will add to this as the day goes along . . .

We need to fix fence on the uphill side of our pasture. They were able to clear it coming over the RR tracks and going downhill. They had a disadvantage moving uphill.

Don't think there would have been problems if those DFW guys would just slow down a little when they're trying to move elk. The last time they did this, a few years ago, after elk stopped traffic on the freeway, ran through Springwood Ranch and into the river (same as this time) the elk were moving cautiously but slowly from the river and across Mick's lower hay fields, when some DFW quad-jockey idjit decided to pull out in front of the whole damm bunch, instead of staying put on the sidelines to keep them on the path. Everything blew up, they turned around, flew back across the river, and caused problems over there for a few days (they had to cancel recess at the local school the next morning because of elk on the playground!). I watched that whole fiasco and couldn't believe what a turd throw it was!

A few guys horseback wouldn't have been effective, but they need to teach "Herdsmanship W/Quads 101", with another companion class, "Hold Your Horses, Gaw Damm It!"

:(
 

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